


One End And Another

by Current521



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: AU, December - Freeform, F/M, Flash Fiction, emmelie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:08:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21885733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Current521/pseuds/Current521
Summary: December, 2019
Relationships: Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 19





	One End And Another

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Emmelie](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Emmelie).



> Emmelie gave me the prompts "charted" + "no" + "something ending" and I wrote flash fiction, for whatever reason

**1.**

December 1st meant Paul wore a Christmas sweater to work. Ted rolled his eyes at him, but he also weirdly appreciated it. He knew, from previous years, that he’d wear a different one every day until they went on Christmas break, which meant he owned at least 20. He probably owned 24. He always wore them in the exact same order. Ted noticed, and didn’t say anything.

**2.**

December wasn’t a good month for Ted, but Charlotte liked Christmas, which meant that she smiled more, and he noticed that. He also noticed that her eyes were sadder, but he didn’t ask. He noticed every smile and every sad look at every cigarette break and didn’t say anything.

**3.**

December 3rd was a Tuesday, and Sam always worked late on Tuesdays, so Ted took Charlotte home after work. He fucked her in his bed, and pretended he didn't notice when tears welled up in her eyes when he called her by name. Ted noticed every little thing about Charlotte, but he never said anything.

**4.**

December was the longest month, Ted thought, when he came into the office Wednesday morning and Charlotte wouldn't meet his eyes. He made coffee and put a mug down in front of her. "Just the way you like it," he said and walked away before she could react. He picked the nug up on his way back to the kitchen two hours later, and it was still full, the coffee now cold. Ted had noticed that Charlotte had blushed when he'd put the mug down, but apparently it hadn't been enough to make her drink it. He also hadn't said anything.

**5.**

December wasn't so bad, but it was Thursday evening, and Ted was drunk by himself. He never made good decisions when drunk, but it wasn't a day for good decisions, so a few minutes before midnight, he texted Charlotte.  _ You deserve better than Sam you know. Don't you think I'm better?  _ He'd noticed that she wasn't happy, with him or with Sam, but he'd promised himself not to say anything.

**6.**

December was terrible, Ted decided. It was past midnight when Charlotte replied. Just one word.  _ No.  _ He suspected she wouldn't change her mind, but he tried to argue anyway. She didn't answer, so Ted went to bed. He didn't talk to Charlotte at work in the morning, but Ted noticed that Paul was wearing his best Christmas sweater and appreciated it, but didn't say anything.

**7.**

December could go suck a dick in Ted's opinion. Charlotte texted him Saturday morning and asked if he could come over. He wanted to say yes, but he was also mad at her.  _ No. _ He noticed, in her reply, that she seemed to want to ask again, but he didn't comment on it.

**8.**

December dragged on for Ted, but at least Charlotte had texted him and he hadn't been able to blow her off, so now they were sitting together on his couch, drinking coffee and watching Sunday cartoons. Ted noticed that Charlotte laughed too loudly at some jokes and wouldn't always meet his eyes, but the moment was too precious, and he didn't say anything.

**9.**

December that year wasn't as cheerful as other years, but Ted had his own sort of enjoyment in Mondays. Charlotte wasn't working, because neither was Sam, so for a whole day, he didn't have to think about her or think about anything to do with her. But he still noticed how empty the office sounded without her careful, tentative voice, but he didn't share this with the others.

**10.**

December was worse this year, but Ted still liked Tuesdays the best. Because he still took Charlotte home that Tuesday. She told him it was the last time, but he rolled his eyes, because it had been years now, and she’d been saying it since the first time. It didn’t bother him, except he noticed that she seemed to mean it this time, but he didn’t say it.

**11.**

December was too long, in Ted’s opinion. Charlotte called him Wednesday evening, so he drove out to fuck her. She asked him to stay the night because Sam wasn’t coming home, but he said no. He had to say no. He wished he could say yes, because time passed faster with her. He noticed how sad she looked when he kissed her goodbye, but he didn’t say anything, because he knew she’d beg him to stay, and he knew he couldn’t say no again.

**12.**

December was halfway over, according to Paul; according to Ted, they were just halfway to Christmas. Either way, they weren’t far enough through the month for Ted’s liking, but Charlotte brought him a chai latte back from Beanie’s after lunch and smiled at him softly, so he considered it a win. He had noticed her too-long break and he noticed that she’d been crying, but he elected not to comment.

**13.**

December 13th, 2019. Ted stared at the date on his PC as he booted it up and sighed. His last day of work before Christmas was a week away. He could make it through a week, he decided. He noticed that Charlotte came in late, looking like she’d been crying, and he noticed the bruise on her wrist, but he didn’t say anything, because it wasn’t his place, and because he wanted to see her over the weekend.

**14.**

December was too long, but Charlotte spent the whole weekend at his house because Sam was mad at her and she wanted to get away. Ted just counted his blessings. He noticed that she was more bruised than he’d thought the day before, or she’d gotten more, but he didn’t say anything for fear of her leaving.

**15.**

December was halfway over now, according to Ted, but he didn’t think about it until the evening, because he woke up with Charlotte in his bed, so he went to make her breakfast before she woke up because he wanted to do something nice for her. He asked her to stay another night, knowing she would say no, and pretended he didn’t notice her nodding slightly before she said it.

**16.**

December Mondays were worse than regular Mondays, because there was no Charlotte at the office, but there was Bill singing Christmas carols and Paul in his most outlandish sweaters, and Ted didn’t have the patience for either. He did notice Paul shooting him a concerned look and then pulling Bill aside to tell him to stop, but he wasn’t in the mood to say thank you, so he kept the observation to himself.

**17.**

December Tuesdays were better than regular Tuesdays, because Charlotte smiled a lot more in December, and she laughed. Mostly at him, as he sang along to Christmas carols in the car after work, but she laughed. He noticed that her arms and back were a mess of bruises when he undressed her in his bedroom, but instead of saying anything, he kissed her and let his hands be extra gentle with her.

**18.**

December didn’t suck nearly as much when Charlotte invited him for lunch, Ted decided. She asked if he had plans for Christmas, and he said no, because he didn’t. She asked if he had plans for New Year’s, and he said no again, because he didn’t. She seemed to want to ask more, but although Ted was curious, he let her change the topic, and savoured the idea that maybe, just maybe, she’d been about to ask if they should spend the holidays together.

**19.**

December was dragging closer to Christmas, but Ted wasn’t exactly feeling the holiday spirit. Paul and Bill and Charlotte had decorated the office, so he guessed someone were in the holiday spirit, but it wasn’t him. And it probably wasn’t Charlotte, as he noticed how falsely affected her smile seemed, but he didn’t say anything, because he didn’t want to call her out in front of the whole office.

**20.**

December 20th was the last day before the office closed for the holidays, which meant that they all — Ted, Bill, Paul, Charlotte, Melissa, and Mr. Davidson — ate lunch together and exchanged holiday wishes and talked about their plans. Ted didn’t say much, just shrugged, but he noticed that Charlotte was equally evasive, if not more so, and didn’t say anything that day because he didn’t want to draw attention to it.

**21.**

December just didn’t end, Ted figured, and he wished it did. It was the first day of his Christmas break, and he spent the day on his couch, watching shitty television and day drinking. It was the way he’d planned it, so although he noticed Charlotte texting him, he didn’t even grace her with a  _ no _ , and even when she called, he let it go to voicemail.

**22.**

December was lonely, so it only took a day for Ted’s decision to not contact Charlotte to be ignored. He was lucky that she wasn’t mad at him, and that Sam had left to see his family without her; she offered to come to his place for the holidays. He noticed that her voice on the phone seemed desperate, but he let her believe that he was the desperate one.

**23.**

December didn’t matter as much as the way Charlotte smiled when he kissed her awake in the morning. For all Ted cared, Christmas never had to come. As long as he got to have that moment with Charlotte. He noticed that her smile, just then, was the most real smile he’d seen from her in months, but instead of commenting on it, he asked her what she wanted for breakfast, and went shopping when she said she wanted scrambled eggs.

**24.**

December didn’t end with Christmas, so Christmas Eve was just another day in Ted’s opinion, but it was another day with Charlotte, so he liked it quite a lot. He noticed that she was a lot quieter that day than she’d been the day before, but instead of asking her about it, he just tried to make her laugh, over and over, or at least make her smile, and if he had to be saccharine and kiss her cheek to do so, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

**25.**

December was cold, but not usually cold enough for snow in Hatchetfield. That year, however, it was, which Ted realised when he stepped outside at six in the morning because he wanted to go get a present for Charlotte. He noticed her eyes shining with tears when he came back with the present and woke her up, but he decided to focus on the snow and the holiday.

**26.**

December nights were too long, but with Charlotte in his bed, Ted wished they continued forever. She laughed when he kissed her, and she laughed when he made bad flirtatious comments, and she didn’t laugh when her phone rang, but although Ted noticed that her eyes never quite regained the joy after her call with Sam, he didn’t stop trying to make her laugh again.

**27.**

December 27th was the worst day, too long after Christmas to have holiday, too long until New 

Year’s to get excited. And although Ted had taken the days between Christmas and New Year’s off, Charlotte had only taken boxing day off. He noticed that she packed all her stuff when she left for work in the morning, but he didn’t comment on it, not even when she sent a text at lunch saying that Sam had come home and she had to go home too.

**28.**

“December, December, December.” Ted was singing to himself as he moved around the apartment, taking down Christmas decorations. No real melody, no real song, he was just singing. He did notice his phone ringing, and he did notice that it was Charlotte calling, but he elected to momentarily ignore it because he was in a good mood, and although Charlotte made him happy, she made him sad, too.

**29.**

December was coming to a close, and Charlotte was back in Ted’s bed. Sam had left for New Year’s with his sister and, once again, he hadn’t brought Charlotte. Ted wouldn’t mind, because it meant that he got to stay with her, but he noticed that she had tears in her eyes when she came to his door, and he hated Sam for doing that to her, and hated himself for never saying anything.

**30.**

December had been the first month where Ted had seen Charlotte for days at a time, so of course he had to go and ruin it. She left after they had had a fight, in tears, and Ted didn’t stop her from leaving. And he didn’t call or text her when he noticed that she had left her wedding ring sitting on the table in the entryway, but he did promise herself to answer her when she inevitably texted or called about it.

**31.**

December was only a few hours from ending when Charlotte came to pick up her ring, and then they fought again. After they had had a fight, Ted decided to go outside, walk around, have a smoke. It was almost midnight, and there were very few cars around, so he wasn’t being too careful. Ted didn’t notice the car speeding around the corner, and as a result, his life ended with the year.


End file.
